It was an intriguing debate to watch in on, and one where both parties made valid points on a complex situation, but who could be announced ‘the winner’?

Perma tanned Match of the Day host, Lineker, has to be believed when he points out the damaging impact selling your best player can have to the rest of your squad.

However, as football has proved time and time again throughout history, a club will always go on despite the loss of any key individual.

Lineker argued that ‘giants don’t sell their best players’, but as Sugar rightly countered – they actually do, and usually remain just as competitive.

Bale is just one man, who could lose form, or suffer serious injury on the first day of the new season

Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, couldn’t resist the £80m on offer from Real Madrid when they sold Cristiano Ronaldo. They replaced him with Antonio Valencia, won the title and reached the Champions League final.

AC Milan sold Kaka, again to Real Madrid, Juventus sold Zinedine Zidane, so it would be no sign of weakness or ‘small club mentality’ should Spurs decide to cash in.

When you also consider the fact that Bale is just one man, who could lose form, or suffer serious injury on the first day of the new season, £80m is a hard offer to refuse – especially if he has made up his mind he wants to leave.

However, sticking with the financial theme – and developing Lineker’s more substantial point that ‘with Bale Spurs can challenge’ – a look at the money charts will show that just one top four finish would recoup Spurs the best part of the £86m Madrid are believed to be ready to shell out for the Welshman.

Manchester City pocketed £24.8m for their participation in last season’s Champions League without winning a single game, while Arsenal raked in £57.1m for their fourth-place league finish.

This ‘success’ yields a minimum of £82m, so the question for chairman Daniel Levy is whether he wants to rely on Bale propelling Spurs into the top echelons of football by himself, or whether his transfer fee would be better invested in those that can make the north Londoners a more rounded force?

On the basis of last season, where Bale was perhaps at his peak and Spurs still fell short of fourth, you’d have to side with Sugar and take the money.